Revenge Explored in Hamlet and The Revengers Tragedy
William Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton explore the depth and range ofthe human psyche in their plays, Hamlet and The Revenger's Tragedy.Through the characters of Hamlet and Vindici, we discover differentmotivations to their feelings of vengeance, illustrating the complexity ofhuman nature as it relates to revenge. However, while both plays operateunder the same theme of vengeance, they are quite different in terms of howeach protagonist is portrayed and how each play is received. Hamlet,because he relates his father's death to the state of the world, representsa larger social commentary on mankind while Vindici and his anticsrepresent a play that shocks rather than provokes thought. Hamlet and Vindici respond to injustices that they have witnessed, whichis the murder of a loved one. Hamlet, while motivated by revenge, is alsomotivated by his melancholy. This, at times, creates a great conflictwithin him as he tries to deal with his mission set forth by the ghost.Hamlet is also troubled by his mother's sudden remarriage to Claudius,which presents another element of revenge. Throughout the play, hestruggles endlessly with his emotions and his religious beliefs, which
The presence ofthe ghost adds a supernatural element to Hamlet that The Revenger's Playdoes not have. Vindici revels in his revenge, claiming that it"hits,/Past the apprehension of indifferent wits" (V. In contrast, Vindici has no inner conflicts nor does have anyone oranything prodding him to action. Hamlet is also motivated by an outside force, which is the ghost. For instance, he claims to Lussurioso thathe is "covetous/To know the villain" (Middleton IV. While Hamletsearches for meaning on a deeper level, Vindici simply waits foropportunity. i) and because of this the Duke must pay. Hamlet's famous tragic flaw of delaying what he must do is a starkcontrast to Vindici's eagerness to get the job done. In contrast to Hamlet, Vindici becomes moredetestable and ends up like Iago delighting in his evil desire. With Hamlet, Shakespeare comments on the human condition as a whole,emphasizing a complex cerebral creature that cannot overcome hisconscience. This is significant to understanding the meaning behind bothplays. The desire for vengeance conflicting with the desire to remain moral issomething to which everyone can relate. What it reveals to us is that Hamlet does not reallywant to kill Claudius.
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